hard to be vegan at times

[Guest guest]

" Around the house: From the paint and wallpaper on the walls to the linoleum and

carpet on the floors, we’re literally surrounded by items that include products

from animals. Animal products are used to make the plywood and drywall used in

buildings and in the insulation that keeps them warm. Refrigerators and air

conditioners use freon, a cooling agent that contains a derivative from animal

fat. Egg whites are used in ceramic tile and catalase enzyme is used to make

foam rubber. Laundry detergents and fabric softeners contain animal products as

do many disinfectants, household cleaners and polishes. Animals even give us

candles and the matches to light them with. Just as feather pillows and wool

blankets help us sleep better, the many products animals provide add comfort to

our lives. Getting us there: Whether we walk, bike, drive or fly, animal

products help to get us where we are going. The asphalt on roads and walkways,

the concrete blocks used to build bridges, even the steel

in trains and planes are made using animal products. Animals also play a part

in all sorts of mechanical items. For example, fatty acids and proteins are used

to make lubricants and fluids. Glycerol is in brake fluid and anti-freeze while

stearic acid is used to help tires hold their shape and improve their wear.

Helping us look good: Many personal care products either contain animal

ingredients or involve animal products in the manufacturing process. These items

include sunscreens, deodorants, soaps and shampoos, cosmetics, toothpastes and

mouthwashes. For example, lanolin, an oil that is removed from sheep wool before

it can be spun and dyed, is used in hand creams and make-up. Animals also help

clothe us. Wool, felt, down, leather and fur are obvious. Less obvious are

buttons used to fasten clothes and fabric dyes used to colour them. Decorative

items like mother of pearl and tortoise shell also come from farm animals. "

 

 

 

 

Shopping

Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Shopping

 

 

[Guest guest]

Yes, Mo, I and my husband also have found that it is very hard to be vegan

all the time, or even actually, most of the time. So we have gone back to

being vegetarian and eat only organic eggs and cheese and butter, which we

can now find even at Walmart grocery stores. We don't drink cow's milk at

all, and again, Wally has Silk and even the Silk Nog. There are many

vegan products you can buy online or in catalogs to replace the usual

" culprits " , but they are very, very expensive and we can't afford all of

them. I would think you would have to be very wealthy in this earth's goods

to be able to do so. We are moving up out of poverty, my dh and I, and we

feel rich comparatively speaking...but we can't afford to eat or do

everything vegan. This article relieves my troubled conscience on this

score, as it points out that we live, most all of us, in a literal non-vegan

environment.

 

I really appreciate your posting this article. I will show it to my husband

as well.

 

Perhaps the moral is...everything you can do to help the animals is good,

but it can get to an extreme? (thinking about air conditioners and house

joists, et al)

 

Bron

 

 

On 12/8/05, Mo <alucard_man wrote:

>

> " Around the house: From the paint and wallpaper on the walls to the

> linoleum and carpet on the floors, we're literally surrounded by items that

> include products from animals. Animal products are used to make the plywood

> and drywall used in buildings and in the insulation that keeps them warm.

> Refrigerators and air conditioners use freon, a cooling agent that contains

> a derivative from animal fat. Egg whites are used in ceramic tile and

> catalase enzyme is used to make foam rubber. Laundry detergents and fabric

> softeners contain animal products as do many disinfectants, household

> cleaners and polishes. Animals even give us candles and the matches to light

> them with. Just as feather pillows and wool blankets help us sleep better,

> the many products animals provide add comfort to our lives. Getting us

> there: Whether we walk, bike, drive or fly, animal products help to get us

> where we are going. The asphalt on roads and walkways, the concrete blocks

> used to build bridges, even the steel

> in trains and planes are made using animal products. Animals also play a

> part in all sorts of mechanical items. For example, fatty acids and proteins

> are used to make lubricants and fluids. Glycerol is in brake fluid and

> anti-freeze while stearic acid is used to help tires hold their shape and

> improve their wear.

> Helping us look good: Many personal care products either contain animal

> ingredients or involve animal products in the manufacturing process. These

> items include sunscreens, deodorants, soaps and shampoos, cosmetics,

> toothpastes and mouthwashes. For example, lanolin, an oil that is removed

> from sheep wool before it can be spun and dyed, is used in hand creams and

> make-up. Animals also help clothe us. Wool, felt, down, leather and fur are

> obvious. Less obvious are buttons used to fasten clothes and fabric dyes

> used to colour them. Decorative items like mother of pearl and tortoise

> shell also come from farm animals. "

>

>

>

>

> Shopping

> Find Great Deals on Holiday Gifts at Shopping

>

>

[Guest guest]

--- Bron,

 

this is a very interesting topic to me : ). I would love to eat

vegan full-time also but cost can be an issue as can finding the

stuff. people think I'm extreme enough not eating meat but when they

see me running around obsessing on things, they think it's downright

insane. personality-wise, I can be extremely obsessive with an all-or-

nothing mentality : ). that being said I tell myself to make the best

choices that I can with what is around me. if people see me totally

stressed out about minute ingredients, it says being a vegetarian is

too difficult or it's too weird : ). so I have resigned myself to

eating vegan when I can and lacto/ovo when I can : ). take care : )...

 

Anne